Matchmaking
by Shinra-ex-SOLDIER
Summary: Neku, Eri and Shiki, in the latter's home. Eri may be out of practice but she's still going all out with the plan to get those two together. Her best friend should be grateful. "I say he's just clingy." She sat up to look at her. "To you, of course." "Eri, stop it. Neku and I are just friends." "Classic denial." NekuxShiki fluff. Post-game. Spoilers for week 1.


**Matchmaking**

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Neku, Eri and Shiki, in the latter's home. Eri may be out of practice but she's still going all out with the plan to get those two together. Her best friend should be grateful. NekuxShiki fluff. Post-game. Spoilers for week 1.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

"Sorry for borrowing your boyfriend just like that."

Commencing operation. Of course, she would tease her while executing such a brilliant plan. If she didn't, now where's the fun in that? One of the most important codes of best friends is the constant teasing on the other's behalf. A rule that mostly she implemented. It's Sunday and it just so happened that Shiki's parents are out. It also just so happened that Eri needed to go shopping and purely by coincidence is that she bought too much for her to carry and that by some stroke of luck, Neku was nearby with his own bags of grocery.

Yeah, right. Since when was she a believer of chance? It was fate! Or more like… a setup.

"For the nth time Eri, Neku's not my boyfriend!" Shiki had to stop what she was doing because she was suddenly shaky from being flustered. Really, if Eri keeps saying that then she won't finish their projects today at this rate.

"Not yet." She sang and immediately hushed her. "And not so loud! He might hear us."

"Seriously? That's your whisper? I don't want to be anywhere near your yelling then." Neku entered the argument rather annoyed, not from the topic itself but more on the fact that he was carrying a lot of stuff that mostly weren't his. He sat about a meter from the spectacled girl, not too near yet not too far at the same time, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by a certain redhead.

"The feeling's mutual, don't worry. Oh, you better make sure it stays that way and I don't have to yell your ears off if you break my BFF's heart."

"What are you even talking about?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know." Hands on hips, she glared at him.

"Whatever. You're too noisy." He just rolled his eyes.

"No no no no no! This is not how it's supposed to be!"

"Great. Another rant."

"Shut up or I'll _make_ you." She said in that sweet threatening voice and then spoke to the other with more of sympathy than of threat. She held her hands and briefly, the petite girl thought that she really doesn't want her to finish her sewing. "Shiki, how could you let this happen to you? I always pictured you picking an average hot guy who can cook and is just as nice as you. Because let's face it, nobody will beat you in the nice category."

"Sorry, I guess? Hey, since when did you start fantasizing about _my _lovelife?" That's Eri for you, she supposed. Gently slipping her hands out, she went back to her sewing.

"Five minutes after we met." She was answered with raised eyebrows. "Alright, days tops."

"Should I be happy you're that concerned about me?"

"More like creeped out."

"Make you _shut up._" The death glare was back on him with vengeance. As soon as she was in it, she was out of it as she turned gushy all over the other occupant. "Of course! That's what best friends do! So, like I was saying, instead you got this totally rude guy who looks okay, yeah, but fails every requirement I've laid out for you."

"Neku's not that rude… Okay, maybe a little…" Shiki contemplated. That might not have been accurate. She bit her lip, trying to find the words that seemingly escape her. "Well, he might be rude but he's only being brutally honest. He doesn't mean anything – he does but not in a bad way."

"Thanks for the really good job of defending me." Just for the record, yes, he was being sarcastic but when wasn't he?

"I didn't mean it _that_ way."

"You guys are – "

"Girls." Eri corrected him.

"You _girls _are giving me a headache. Look, mind if I borrow your kitchen?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Make that a migraine.

"Sure, what for?"

"Skateboarding."

"What?"

"Cooking, what else?"

"Oh, okay. But I don't think we have anything you can use in the fridge though."

"No problem. I bought some." He raised two bags out of the pile he brought in the room.

"Someone's prepared." Eri commented offhandedly.

"Gossip about me when I'm not in the same room." He was not just about to start another long senseless fight with that crazy girl. "I was gonna have lunch after I drop this girl's weights here – "

"Hey, I have a name you know!"

"But since I'm here I guess I'll just do it here. I bought extra so let's just hope there's enough."

"You need help?" Shiki asked and for the first time since this morning, she paused for another reason other than Eri.

"Nah, it's a kitchen. They're kind of generic in every house." He was already at the doorway.

"I want sushi!"

"You don't get to choose."

"Fine, then Shiki wants sushi."

"Even if she did, does it look like I got any ingredients on me?"

"I was hoping maybe for some sushi…"

"Maybe you could go and get me the goods."

"But it's hot outside."

"Right, so just do whatever you and Shiki do and just give me half an hour."

Then he was gone. Faster than what they expected but slower than what he would've wanted. So far so good. The plan's still linear. Sure, she had to throw in a few remarks here and there just to add a little thrill and all but ultimately, things were going pretty smoothly. Eri took this as her cue to plop down on the bed.

"Finally, I thought he'd never leave us."

"This coming from the person who asked him to be here in the first place."

"I say he's just clingy." She sat up to look at her. "To you, of course."

"Eri, stop it. Neku and I are just friends." Was it that hard to remember?

"Classic denial."

"Classic truth."

"Really, I raised you better than this. Just get together already, everybody's waiting!" She shook her head in disapproval.

"Since when did you raise me? And there's nothing anyone should wait for." This was one of those moments where she's thankful she doesn't have overprotective parents who have her room bugged. If that were the case, she'll probably be grounded courtesy of her best friend.

"Shiki, as much as I want us to do this forever, it won't get you and Neku to tie the knot any sooner." Moving closer to her, she placed a hand on her shoulder and put her most sincere face.

"What?!"

"Hey! Lunch is done!" Neku yelled from afar. And he better be far, Shiki would die of shame if he heard the things Eri has been nagging on.

"Time first. We'll get back to this after we grab some grub."

The table was already set once they got there. Neku was still standing though, maybe he was being polite and was waiting for them to sit first. They didn't need to be told as the aroma lured them to their seats. What they didn't expect was the kind of food served.

"Sushi!" And rice and soup but Eri didn't seem to notice that.

"You wish."

"Okay, smart guy. Then what do you propose to call this?" It definitely looks like sushi.

"A compromised meal."

"Homemade sushi then."

"More like a total rip-off." Despite its looks, true enough, he had to meet halfway for the ingredients. Instead of using the standard, he substituted with things like crabsticks and cucumbers and whatever was in the fridge. He isn't too proud of it but at least it's decent food. "Look, I had to make do with what I had. I used up all of your _nori_ though, I'll buy it back the next time."

"Wow, Neku. I never knew you were this good at cooking." Shiki didn't mind though. In fact, she was thrilled at what she was about to eat regardless if it's not authentic.

"I'm not. These are just the basics." His eyebrows furrowed. They're setting the bar on food too low.

"_Basics_ my face. C'mon, gloat a little. You pulling this off gives you at least some bragging rights." It sounded like an insult but the redhead was really giving him a compliment.

"Can we just get on with it and eat?" He grabbed his chopsticks and went ahead. They followed soon after.

"It's delicious! Probably better than what I can do." Not just probably, Shiki thought, but exactly.

"So yummy!" She almost practically squealed in delight. "Shiki, I change my mind. Please keep him. As a personal chef of course if you're still not okay with the whole boyfriend idea."

"You guys are overreacting. It's no better than the normal stuff." The two pretended to not hear her last words.

"Oh, yeah. You grew up as a latchkey kid, right? No wonder you're good at this." The seamstress popped another _cucumber roll_ (since Neku refused to call it sushi) into her mouth.

"I had to. I sorta started hating insta-noodles at one point." Apparently, you tend to hate a lot of things when you grew up in a house that's abandoned most of the time.

"I know I would too."

The occasional banter was thrown here and there but overall, lunch went pretty well. The only guy in the room volunteered to clean up after and while the most reserved of the three opted to help, her best friend quickly squashed her attempts and let the guy do everything which he didn't seem to mind. Once he was out of earshot, Eri elbowed her.

"Are you falling for him yet? Independent guys are in demand so I'd call dibs on him if I were you."

"Not this again." She sighed. There was the sound of rushing water not too far which was loud enough to crush her paranoia that Neku might be hearing this embarrassing conversation.

"Yes, this again. Now tell me you're already rational enough to see that he's boyfriend material."

"Not until you see just how irrational your thinking is." Forget irrational, she just hit insane.

"Bubuu. Wrong answer." She made a sound that's supposedly like a buzzer in a game show.

"This question's rigged anyways."

"You owe me a dare for that." Then she smiled sweetly. "Which reminds me, how are the projects going?"

"Almost done. Just a few finishing stitches." She was more than happy for the change of topic.

"Great! Let's get back to work." She dragged her back to the workplace or rather, her room.

"Yeah, says the one who's doing all the work."

"Did you say something about me slacking?"

"No, not at all. Just saying how I'm doing most of the work."

"Today." She clarified. "I already did mine last night when I was designing those. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough. Though I wish you wouldn't pressure me."

"Sorry, I just need it today, please? I won't ask for anything else after this." She pleaded and Shiki thought there was an evil glint in her eyes but ignored it. She'd regret it later though.

"Alright, just give me ten minutes."

"Five."

"Eri."

"Right, no pressure. My bad."

Waiting was never her forte. It's not that she's bothered by the idea of wasting precious time, she does that all the time, but it was that waiting always meant boring to her. Waiting mostly ends up with her doing nothing and that was really irritating on her energetic nature. With Mr. Mew currently in her hands, she couldn't help but play with him. If the plan works, she owes most of it to this little stuff toy here. And she knows it'll work.

"Anything happened while I was gone?"

"Done!"

Perfect timing. As if all odds were in her favor or in this case, _their _favor. And her BFF thought that it was just her conspiring to get them together.

"Great! Let me see!" Eri bolted to her and after giving them the quick once-over, she nodded in approval. "This is yours." One for Shiki. "Catch!" And one for Neku.

"Eri, what's going on?"

"Yeah, what gives?"

"Ta-dah! Matching outfits! Courtesy of our professional seamstress, of course."

The _projects _were in fact, Mr. Mew hoodies hand-sewn despite looking like expensive mass-produced clothes made by accurate machines. The measurements were from Eri and in hindsight, Shiki should've noticed how close they were to her and Neku's (he's been used as a model before albeit coerced) but really, it's too late for that. Neku had the one with drawstrings while Shiki got the design with zippers. Other than that, there wasn't really anything to tell the two apart.

"Remember that dare you owe me from like ten minutes ago?"

"I didn't think that counted."

"Everything's counted. All's fair in love and war." Even if she wasn't the one directly involved.

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am." This is it. The greatest part of the plan. She grinned. "I want you and Neku to go out wearing those."

Silence ensued.

"You're joking."

"Nope."

"Neku?" Shiki turned to him for support but he had a distant look on his face kinda like he was actually considering the crazy offer.

"I'm in." Wait, he was seriously playing along with this? Did the UG just freeze over?

"Then it's a date!" Eri clapped her hands in triumph.

"Wh-What?! Since when did it suddenly become a date?"

"You don't want it to be?" He asked with unbelievable calmness that it caught her off guard.

"Well yes, no, uhh…" Flustered beyond belief, Shiki thought she'd never been redder in her life.

"I was planning on asking you out anyways but it looks like I got handed in by your girl." He was fiddling with a large spike of his hair and did his best to fight off the blush.

"Girlfriend. But not romantically. That spot's left for you, Romeo." She winked.

"O-okay, then. It's a date… with Neku." She could've sworn her blush was trying hard to get redder.

Operation successful. Finally! Those two are going to get together. They're still not official. Not yet. But if Eri could get them to go on a date in one day, she could probably get them to be an item in one week. She hugged Mr. Mew in excitement. Challenge accepted.

Sometimes, when it comes to relationships or rather when it comes to setting up one, all you need is a little push. Or a shove. Or a _lot _of teasing and convincing. Or matching outfits.

Or a mischievous matchmaker of a best friend.

"You so totally owe me."

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

**Shinra-ex-SOLDIER**


End file.
